Next, let's furlough members of the House

When sequesters and furloughs occur, more is involved than just sending approximately 800,000 federal workers home without pay. Both federal and armed forces contracting officers often must also issue stop-work orders to all the federal and military contractors because they can't be paid.

Contractors, in turn, must notify their subcontractors and they in turn must notify their subcontractors, and so on. These notifications can go down several levels of subcontractors. The contractors then have to decide if they can carry their employees with no contract payments coming in, or if they must furlough these workers too.

Stop-work orders mean that contractors may not be able to meet their delivery dates. Needed services, supplies and equipment are then delayed. When the sequester is lifted, contracting officers must issue continue orders. The government may have to pay costly overtime for the contractors to build back to meet crucial necessary delivery schedules.

All these costs are compounded by the fact that the looming sequesters have lasted more than two years. That means contractors are loath to spend on any capital improvements and hire only the most needed employees, and workers are loathe to spend on big-ticket items like cars, appliances, and even houses, because the government shutdown can affect their jobs.

When you consider the ripple effect of furloughed government employees and the contractor workforce, the economic losses and costs are staggering. It is no wonder the U.S. economy is stagnant. All this has occurred because of the do-nothing House of Representatives. It's too bad we can't furlough these members or, at the least, sequester their paychecks until they actually start performing their jobs.

Linda Greene

Asbury Park

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Next, let's furlough members of the House

When sequesters and furloughs occur, more is involved than just sending approximately 800,000 federal workers home without pay.

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